Somewhere Only We Know
by Remember New York
Summary: Blaine Anderson is a young high-flying New Yorker who is about to begin a dazzling career in Broadway. So what happens when he crosses paths with the aspiring NYADA student Kurt Hummel who has news that will change both of their lives forever?
1. Chapter 1

Seven months ago I had a strange dream just days before Darren Criss's opening night on Broadway. It gave me an idea for a drabble that I sat down to write the next day. This drabble got out of control and eventually became this ficlet. Beta-d by the amazing paperstylehearts. This will be posted in four parts so keep a look out for the next three coming in two day intervals

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******_Blaine Anderson is a young high-flying New Yorker who is about to begin a dazzling career on Broadway. So what happens when he crosses paths with the aspiring NYADA student Kurt Hummel who has news that will change both of their lives forever?_**

**Part one**

The New York Academy of the Dramatic Arts was not only everything Kurt Hummel had hoped it would be but more. Upon his first week here, he already had a full schedule of dance, drama, and vocal lessons – and he was definitely not complaining. Why would he when he really was living his dream? But, one thing lay askew. Kurt missed his best friend, Rachel Berry. Though there was a time when he'd never thought he'd admit it, it just wasn't the same without her. Much to Kurt's chagrin, she had opted to stay in Ohio to be nearer to Finn, who was now running Hummel's Tire and Lube. Kurt's father, Burt, had a seat in congress and now needed the extra help at the shop. Rachel had given up her dreams for Finn and had taken a place in Western Ohio University's Dramatic Arts Department where she too studied dance, drama, and song – though Kurt knew she wouldn't have found it half as fabulous if she had come to live in New York with him instead.

Rachel and Kurt kept in touch; they had after all been best friends for four years now even if the relationship had started as "frenemies." They eventually came to an understanding that they were similar in almost every aspect of their lives and perhaps became closer than any other two members of their old high school Glee club because of it. Rachel and Kurt shared everything, and Kurt was so glad when she and Finn went steady, even if he was also partly jealous, because at times Rachel was the only one who ever understood him and Finn took that away. She began to spend so much time with him instead of Kurt – and he might have even resented his stepbrother because of that.

Kurt knew this was selfish of him, but he had never had a best friend, and _never_ a friend like Rachel - who he found he could always confide in. Kurt had also never had a boyfriend; never even kissed anyone, with the exception of David Karofsky, which was the most distressing experience of his life, so Kurt didn't count that as his first kiss. He was waiting for the right person, he told himself over and over again.

So now Rachel was all the way in Ohio and here was Kurt - in the middle of New York City. The city was just as magical as it had been on that first visit for Nationals back in his junior year – the same year when Kurt had decided he knew that this was what he wanted more than anything – and also that he would do anything to make it happen. Kurt had nothing left for him in Ohio; Rachel and Finn had each other and even Burt had Carole.

Kurt was happy for them all; he knew his passion and love lay in theatre and he really was happy here in New York, (even if he was a little lonelier than he had hoped), but every time he looked out of his apartment window, or stepped out of the front door, he was reminded he was in the city where dreams came true… and all of his dreams were indeed beginning to come true. His only wish was he had someone to share it all with…

Meanwhile, a few blocks away, another young man was staring out of his apartment window, dreaming the very same thing. Blaine Anderson's dreams were coming true too, but like Kurt, his only wish… was that _he_ had someone to share it with.

Blaine had just graduated from The New York Academy of the Dramatic Arts barely three months ago and during his time at high school, and then at college, he had gained an impressive list of credits. No one could deny that he was extremely talented. In fact, just after graduating, he was offered the lead in a small Broadway production. It was a minor role but it was also his Broadway debut. Blaine was so excited, so thrilled, so grateful for this opportunity that he had spent the last two months literally skipping down the sidewalks of New York as he headed to daily rehearsals.

It was becoming late afternoon on January third, 2012, and Blaine was preparing to leave his apartment. He had been renting it since his first year at NYADA when he had moved to New York from, Westerville, Ohio. Since he had loved the apartment as soon as he had moved in, now that he had finished his course, he didn't want to leave. He would hang on to this place as long as he could; it was his and he fit in it perfectly. It wasn't a huge place; it was just the right size for one, with the room for a guest or two every now and then, (even if it was, admittedly, mostly his parents who frequented the place). He felt very at home here and that helped his nerves. Tonight was the opening of the production and he hoped he wouldn't mess it up; it was Broadway after all, even if it was one of the smaller theaters.

Blaine rushed around his apartment collecting his bag and a beanie, and was halfway out of the door before remembering he needed a coat. How could he forget that it was freezing outside? He grabbed his wooly trench coat and headed out. Blaine was glad he wasn't too famous when he was beginning his Broadway career because it allowed him to really digest the whole experience. He had dreamed of Broadway since he was a child, but he never expected to get here, especially fresh out of university. He also enjoyed his daily walk through the magical city to the theater, where for the first time; he would be performing in front of an audience.

Kurt's loneliness was often amplified on these dark lonely winter nights. He had returned to Lima for a week over Christmas and New Year, but now he was back in his lonesome New York apartment. It was a small place, quite cozy too, but he didn't have his loved ones and he feared that said a lot. A place is only as good as the people in it.

Kurt decided to head out for a walk to clear his mind. His favorite two places were Times Square and Central Park. Much to Kurt's dismay, tonight the park was filled with couples holding hands, and staring lovingly into each other's eyes, as they looked over at the Christmas decorations in awe. They were beautiful of course, but all the doting couples made Kurt feel more alone than ever. He carried on walking thought the city, wrapped up in a large overcoat with his designer scarf and even warmer socks. Kurt hated to be cold; his pale porcelain complexion caused his cheeks to blush rosy red and he hated the way it made him look. It contrasted too much with his skin tone.

Kurt walked through the city taking in the atmosphere. It was late afternoon now but it was already dark. The winter caused the daylight hours to become minimal, so Kurt hurried through the streets towards Times Square where he was hoping to sit on a little wall and inhale the feelings around him, the passion of the theater, the hustle and bustle of the workers and tourists alike.

But Kurt never made it to his favorite place of thought.

Blaine was finished for the night – and the performance had gone quite well if he was honest with himself. He exited the theater via the back stage door and signed a couple of autographs, making sure to thank everyone for coming too. He loved to make an effort for those who supported him; he felt it was really important. After all, he held steadfast to the belief that a performer was nothing without an audience. Blaine smiled and waved as he walked away from the small crowd that had greeted him, and they waved back before they also left. As he walked home, Blaine thought of the lovely comments his fans had said - and he smiled to himself. _His fans. _He really had fans now. He was an _actor_. He was doing what he _loved_. He was the _luckiest_ man alive.

He just wished… he had someone to share it with.

As Blaine rounded the corner from Times Square, he found himself in a dark alley way. He usually passed by this way very quickly but something made him stop tonight. He blinked a few times, but after his initial shock subsided, he discovered he could make out a figure curled on the ground. Blaine looked around warily but quickly hurried over. He knelt down beside the figure and flinched a little as he placed a hand on him. Whoever it was had been here a while and they were freezing. From a distance, and also at first glance, the figure could have androgynously been male or female. They also appeared to be very warmly clothed under a slight frame of layers. But on closer inspection it was clearly a young man, a _handsome_ young man, Blaine couldn't help but notice. The open wallet casually lying by the man's side indicated that according to his ID, his name was Kurt Hummel.

Blaine quickly emptied his mind of his distracting thoughts, pulled out his cell phone, and dialed for an ambulance.

"_Nine-one-one, fire, ambulance, or police?"_

"Ambulance," Blaine said swiftly.

" _What is the nature of your emergency?" _

"Um, there's a young man here, no more than nineteen, passed out and he's freezing cold. I don't think he's drunk or anything though." Blaine mumbled at high speed, adding in the last part as an afterthought, hoping they wouldn't tell him it wasn't important.

After giving his name and location, and promising to stay put, Blaine held his cell, staying on the line in case the paramedics needed help finding them, and moved to get a better view of the strikingly pale boy's face. He placed a hand cupping his cheek and felt himself growing worried. He had always been very caring; a mentor to the younger Warblers at Dalton Academy, but here lay a complete stranger and Blaine just couldn't leave him either.

Eventually, the paramedics arrived, and Blaine was going to try to explain that he had found the chestnut haired boy here alone, with no signs of trouble, but if he learned anything from watching several seasons of _Grey's Anatomy_,it wasthat if Blaine alerted them to the fact that he was just a stranger, he would probably never see this strikingly attractive stranger again – and he couldn't let go just yet. He could tell it wasn't looking good. In the time Blaine had been there, the beautifully broken form on the ground had not moved a muscle, but at least he was still breathing, (which to be honest, Blaine thought, was a miracle in itself, considering how cold it was).

Once Kurt had been secured in the ambulance, the paramedics insisted that Blaine accompany them. He was to explain his story once more to the doctors at 548 Broadway, which was the nearest hospital, and this he couldn't argue. He didn't know why but now that he had found Kurt, he couldn't just leave him. He would do everything he could to help the vulnerable and innocent looking perfectly porcelain man now safe in the back of the ambulance.

Blaine complied getting in the back and took the foil space blanket offered to him. He himself had become cold as time had passed waiting but he had not realized this until he was in the warmth of the vehicle.

The whole ride to the hospital Blaine couldn't take his eyes off the Kurt lying in front of him. When they whisked him off to the ER, Blaine stood alone outside the doors, staring at the point in the distance where he had disappeared around the corner and out of sight.

Blaine had no idea how much time had passed. He stood still and watched numerous new patients disappear just as the young man Blaine found had done. After what felt like a lifetime, the paramedic who had entered with them, reappeared and called Blaine over.

"So are you a relative or a friend?" the paramedic asked Blaine kindly, pulling him from all his thoughts. Now, Blaine was not big when it came to lies, and he wasn't very good with hospitals either, but those few seasons of _Grey's Anatomy _had also taught him that if he wasn't at least one of those people, the Paramedic would more than likely send him home. All he could think was of every moment he had spent watching over Kurt, and in a random fit of spontaneity, which had been known to happen with Blaine, he decided he would risk telling a white lie and claim to actually know him. He had forgotten all about his first Broadway performance that had only ended mere hours ago.

"Sir?" the paramedic questioned again.

"Colleague," Blaine answered in a strangled voice. His throat was dry from not talking for so long, especially after an evening spent with lots of singing. "I just found him like that. I've never really had the chance to meet him before tonight. He was just lying there when I walked around the corner and… my heart fell when I recognized him." Blaine thanked that his acting skills were paying off. The official seemed to buy it.

"Okay, well we are going to need someone to stay with him. He should be waking up soon and we need to find out his next of kin. Could you see if you could fill in this paper work for us? With these forms complete we'll be able to contact them and take things further from there."

The paramedic, (Dr. Rick Montague, Blaine noticed his name was), had a worried frown and was looking at Blaine with concern. He was deathly pale.

"C'mon, let me get you a coffee and I can show you to him," Rick urged already leading Blaine to the hospital's standard coffee machine.

He handed Blaine a small filter coffee. Blaine looked at it as if he didn't know what to do with it. He blinked a few times before remembering to take a sip and mumble his gratitude with thanks.

The pair rounded the corner and Blaine found himself in little private side room with the young man in the bed. He was paler than ever and had black rings around his eyes. Blaine sighed sadly. He looked so sick.

"What's wrong with him?" Blaine asked quietly.

"I'm sorry, I can't tell you that Mr. Anderson as you aren't a relative. I'm sure his next of kin will be able to tell you everything once we can get them here after Mr. Hummel wakes up." Rick seemed apologetic as he looked at the curly haired young man who was clearly worried. Blaine choked out a small 'okay' noise and took a seat in the chair besides Kurt's bed.

"When he wakes up, please ask one of the nurses to page me. I will need to talk to him." Rick nodded once to indicate his exit before leaving the two alone.

With Rick gone now, there was nothing to do but wait for Kurt to wake up. His empty forms could not be filled without speaking to him first. So Blaine just sat watching the beautiful boy before him, longing to reach out and show his support by, at the very least, holding his hand, but figured that would probably be too risky; he wasn't even sure if this man was gay or if he would find that uncomfortable. Despite everything however, he had to keep reminding himself that Kurt was a stranger. And yet, even looking as sick as he did, he was also undeniably beautiful. He had a perfectly chiseled jaw, with defined cheek bones. Now that he wasn't covered by all his jackets and his scarf, he had a smooth but strong looking torso and arms too, from what Blaine could see through the hospital gown, and through the blankets pulled up over him.

Blaine never imagined anything could make his feel more star struck than the dazzling lights of standing center stage on Broadway, but sitting here quietly, as morbid as it all was, Blaine was starting to think he had found something that proved him wrong about that.

Because _nothing_ could compare to the sleeping form of the young man in front of him.


	2. Chapter 2

Here we go with part two, once again beta-d by the ever amazing paperstylehearts.

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**Part two**

A few hours would have passed but Blaine would not have noticed. He had not even considered checking his watch or the time. He was just so lost in watching Kurt that he didn't even notice when he had started singing to him.

"_Blow the candles out, looks like a solo tonight… I'm beginning to see the light." _

So lost in fact, he didn't notice Kurt's eyes flicker open while he was singing the _Hey Monday _song, _Candles_.

"_Blow the candles out, looks like a solo tonight… but I'll think I'll be all right…"_

Blaine stopped abruptly when he realized Kurt was awake. Quite suddenly, he was hit again with an overwhelming intense feeling, like he had been lying underground in the subway and a train had just sped over his heart. Kurt stared at him with powerfully blue eyes. It was unlike any other shade of blue that Blaine had ever seen; it was like fire and ice providing a color more intense than the sky, deeper than the ocean and ultimately transfixing Blaine.

"I love that song," the blue-eyed-boy whispered before looking around confused, blinking furiously at the bright lights of the surgically white room.

"…What am I doing here?" Kurt finally asked, unable to wrack his brains hard enough. The last thing he remembered was walking through the streets of New York towards Times Square. Kurt frowned, unsure who the man was in the chair beside him. "I'm sorry but – who are you?"

Blaine sighed quietly, hoping that his already rehearsed answer would be enough. The doctor, of course, had after all refused to tell him anymore.

"I'm Blaine. I guess I'm just… well - I'm just the guy who found you. You had collapsed in the street or something. I had to lie and pretend to know you so they wouldn't kick me out but you're safe in the hospital now. I'm sorry if I seem like a creeper but I didn't want you waking up alone to this."

Kurt smiled sweetly. "That was very Cary Grant of you, Blaine," he said softly, as if testing his speech; he was feeling very unsure. He had lost time and it was very disorientating. "Thanks, you know, for finding me," Kurt added, finding it more comfortable to talk again quietly, coughing a little. "My name's Kurt." A worried look crossed Blaine's face as Kurt coughed again harshly. Kurt recovered from it quickly, but this reminded Blaine of Rick Montague, Kurt's doctor.

"I promised to tell Dr. Montague when you woke up. He needs to call your family or friends. They didn't have any previous history on you, so they asked me to stay with you till you woke up and I could find out who your ICE contacts were." Blaine said this rather quickly, almost jumping out of his seat to help Kurt when he coughed again. "Do you need some water? Your cough doesn't sound too good."

"I'm assuming by 'ice' you mean my 'in case of emergency' contacts? That would be my Dad but… please don't call him yet. I… Can you—can you tell me what happened to me first?" Kurt looked up sadly as Blaine looked like he was getting ready to leave. Kurt was relaxed in his presence and he didn't want to be alone.

Blaine looked back to Kurt; he had only just managed to drag his gaze away from Kurt's magnificent sapphire orbs but now with Kurt pleading so innocently like that, he found himself caught at a crossroad.

"I'm sorry, Kurt. They wouldn't tell me what's wrong with you because I'm not a relative or…"..._anyone really, _Blaine thought. He wished there was more he could do for the poor boy in front of him.

"Oh… okay," Kurt said, really wishing even harder that Blaine didn't have to leave him alone.

As if reading his worried thoughts, Blaine looked at Kurt with a smile, "Look, I'll be right back, I promise. I'm just going to go and get the doctor." He handed Kurt a plastic cup filled with water as he nervously exited the room. He had forgotten all about Rick's request for next of kin details, especially since Kurt hadn't wanted to contact his Dad just yet.

Outside in the halls, Blaine felt like Kurt had rendered him incapable of rational thought. Kurt's voice was magical… In fact, he could safely say that everything about him was beautiful. He usually didn't like to get his hopes up but he had known everything would be from the moment he had found Kurt. But what Blaine was still blind to realize was that Kurt had taken over all his thoughts, rational ones aside. There was no denying that there was something different about this boy.

Back in his room, Kurt played over the last few moments he remembered before blacking out. He could remember the pang of loneliness and then walking down the side street towards the square where he enjoyed sitting and thinking. But he still couldn't bring the memories of the moment before he had passed out. There was everything and then there was nothing. And then there was Blaine. Kurt felt his heart flutter with some emotion he had never felt before as he thought of Blaine, the kind male stranger who had waited. Where had such a gentleman ever existed before?

Kurt became extraordinarily nervous as he waited for Blaine to return with the doctor. He didn't realize how sick he felt until Blaine had left; it was as if his presence had protected him from something bad. Kurt knew there was something wrong, he didn't feel right; his head was pounding, stomach churning, and every inch of his body ached.

Eventually, Blaine reappeared in the doorway, flashing Kurt a puppy-dog grin that made Kurt feel light once more. The pain and the aches all disappeared for a while in his presence. "Hello Kurt," Dr. Montague greeted, "Nice to see you awake. I'm afraid I must ask Blaine to leave though. I have something I need to discuss with you alone, Kurt."

A terrified look crossed Kurt's face; he had barely known Blaine five minutes but he knew he couldn't do this without him. He knew from the doctor's expression that whatever he had to say would be bad news. He needed someone here with him. He couldn't face hearing the dreaded imminence to the problem without anyone with him, even Blaine.

"Does Blaine have to leave?" Kurt asked, the fear obvious in his tone. He looked at Blaine with an amplified horror in his eyes and a pleading look on his face.

"Would you not like us to call a relative, Kurt?" the doctor suggested kindly. The skepticism however, was lucidly written all over his face. He might understand how Kurt felt physically but he'd never understand how Kurt felt emotionally. With Kurt's luck he was probably a homophobe to boot. Kurt had suspected this when he saw the look in the doctor's eyes that disapproved of the pleading glances Kurt was giving Blaine.

"Blaine's my boyfriend," Kurt blurted out in a sheer act of desperation. _Please let him stay. Please let him stay. Please let this work_! Kurt internally begged.

Rick raised an eyebrow, turning to Blaine, whose expression was unreadable. "Really? I thought you said you were a colleague? Hadn't even met him before tonight?"

Blaine shrugged. It might have only been a second before he turned to speak to the doctor but that second was probably the longest in Kurt's life.

"Well," Blaine started, "It's not always easy to tell people you're in a homosexual relationship. Even if we do live in New York, there will always be people who don't understand. I was just trying to protect Kurt from any unnecessary discrimination."

He quickly chanced a look at Kurt who was smiling lightly but on the brim of tears. Blaine smiled back and walked over to be beside Kurt's bed, taking the hand Kurt held out to him, and clasped his warm fingers through Kurt's cooler ones. Blaine was scared for Kurt. Even if they had only just met he didn't want to lose him already. But he was also confused. Why was he thinking as if Kurt was already his? It had been mere hours since Blaine had found him and they had exchanged nothing more than a few hesitant words and sideways glances. True, Blaine had been unable to keep his eyes away from Kurt, but he also found that when Kurt looked at him he was also facing the same predicament. Maybe all those stories about previously meeting someone in another life were true…

Rick seemed to accept that Kurt and Blaine were in a relationship. He himself wasn't gay, but he didn't want to make this any harder on Kurt than it had to be by acting like a homophobe, the whole reason he supposed Blaine had lied to him about being Kurt's colleague.

"Okay so, Kurt, I have looked through your notes so I know you have never previously been diagnosed with anything and you also appear to have had no past problems. As a result, we had to run a lot of very thorough tests to discover the cause of you blacking out." The doctor took a deep breath before continuing. He was feeling so sorry for the young man in front of him who clearly still had his whole life ahead of him.

Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand tighter in nervous anticipation. Dr. Montague quickly cleared his throat. "What I'm about to say may come as a shock to you but unfortunately there's going to be no easy way for me to say this. From the scans, we found a mass in your brain. It appears to have grown very fast. Unfortunately, you would have missed any symptoms until it has become, and I am deeply sorry to be the one to tell you this, but it has become life-threatening."

Out of shock, Kurt said nothing. A gasp escaped Blaine's lips, "Dr. Montague, w-what is it? What's wrong with Kurt? What does he have exactly?"

Rick's lips were pursed tightly and his eyes were downcast but when he finally managed to look Kurt in the eye, the word fell out like an ugly fresh dark scar.

"…Cancer." Rick said with finality.

Kurt remained silent, white as a sheet, but completely calm, his face emotionless.

Kurt couldn't believe what he was hearing. He couldn't seem to process what this meant so the doctor cautiously spoke once more. "Unfortunately, the mass is inoperable because of the late stage at which we have discovered it… But had you not blacked out tonight and been found in time you may never have even known it existed until, well, until it was too late." The doctor was quiet. He didn't often have to deliver this kind of news to a young man in his twenties.

Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand again looking into his magnificent sapphire eyes which had lost all signs of emotion. Blaine could feel a lump rising in his throat as if he were about to throw up.

"How long do I have?" Kurt asked the doctor, his voice cracking even though he was trying to put on a brave face. His voice sounded confident but the gleam in his eyes betrayed him as the tears welled up. Kurt fought them back. He was strong. He was a fighter. He never let his emotions show and he wasn't about to begin now. He looked at Blaine who had sadness and another emotion Kurt couldn't quite read plastered across his face. Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand back.

The doctor stuttered, unable to answer Kurt's question, seeing the hurt in his eyes but the hard determination in his face. "About…" he began, failing, and tried again. "About two months."


	3. Chapter 3

This part is, dare I say it, fluffy. Well, in comparison to the rest of the story anyway. Thank you for all the reviews and favorites and alerts, it's so nice to know people are reading this since it means so much to me. As always, beta-d by the amazing paperstylehearts.

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**Part three**

Blaine visited Kurt every day. They talked about everything with each other; it was a deep and soulful connection. It was as if Kurt had all the time left in the world which meant that Blaine soon found the next two weeks flashing past in a blur. He never left Kurt's side except for when he was scheduled to perform.

And he also never thought that he'd be waking up lying beside Kurt in his hospital bed.

…Or that he would be woken by the sound of four noisy people entering which was what had startled him out of his slumber. He had no idea how long he had been lying beside Kurt, no idea when Kurt's head had fallen onto his chest, no idea when the two had fallen asleep together.

But they had been awoken by Kurt's family entering the small room. Blaine had flushed red at being caught, not that they were, of course, doing anything inappropriate.

But Blaine couldn't have been anymore wrong with assuming that they would have been upset.

Kurt stirred in Blaine's arms and tried to sit up, and Blaine moaned inwardly at the loss of contact, instantly missing the heat and feeling of the weight of Kurt's slender body against him.

Blaine's only experience with family reactions was his own fathers negativity to Blaine coming out in eighth grade, but quite suddenly, here were Kurt's family greeting him as though they had known him all his life.

The Hummel-Hudson family had instantly welcomed Blaine as one of their own as Kurt tried to tell his dad and stepmom, Burt and Carole, and stepbrother and best friend, Finn and Rachel, that Blaine had saved his life. Had Blaine not found him, he would probably be dead.

Blaine had blushed through the whole thing and had held Kurt tightly as he told his family about his diagnosis. This had led everyone to tears, and this time, Kurt couldn't hide the fear and sadness in his eyes that Blaine had thought he had spotted when the doctor had first told him the news.

The following fortnight, Blaine had finished his last performance and he was on his way back to the hospital. None of the family had left Kurt's side for those two weeks except to sleep in rooms in the hotel over the road. It had been a long couple of weeks, despite the first two having gone so fast, but in some ways Blaine had enjoyed it. He had gotten to know Kurt so much and he had fallen, fallen so hard. At times, Kurt would give in to his guilt and tell Blaine that his concern for him was unnecessary, but it was too late. From the moment Blaine had laid his eyes on the beautiful porcelain boy he had known then that everything about him would be beautiful and he was right. They had a connection that seemed to stem from years of knowing each other. Eventually, Kurt stopped questioning how he'd become so lucky to have Blaine in his life, even if it was towards the end.

Blaine was finding it difficult to sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, the picture of the doctor's face speaking those two words flashed behind his eye lids. _Two months._ He couldn't push the image from his mind or imagine what nightmares Kurt would be having. He always seemed so strong about it. It wasn't fair – he had finally found the one person who made him feel whole and he was not ready to let him go yet. Time was ticking; it was running out, like the sands in an hour glass. Everyone knows you that you can't stop sand from slipping between your fingers, no matter how tightly you held on. But Blaine was holding on anyway. Very tightly.

Now that the show and his stint on Broadway were over, Blaine had made the decision that he would never leave Kurt. He had decided that he would be there, until the end.

It was a rare day in the hospital for Kurt and Blaine. Kurt's family had finally given Blaine and Kurt some alone time. It was the first private time they'd had since the first night that Blaine and Kurt had been alone in the room. Rachel and Finn had gone for food in the hospital café and Burt and Carole were at the hotel getting some sleep.

For his part, it saddened Burt how he and his family had watched Blaine and Kurt grow closer over the past weeks. In fact, Burt couldn't sleep; he hadn't been able to since he heard the news. His thoughts kept him awake as he lay beside Carole in their room. This wasn't how things were supposed to be; he shouldn't be saying goodbye to his son, not yet. He was still a kid. He still had his whole life in front of him. Kurt hadn't even had a boyfriend yet so Blaine could never understand the gratitude in which Burt felt towards him. How Kurt had winded up with cancer anyway was beyond Burt. He knew he himself hadn't exactly had the healthiest history, but there was a chance Kurt had inherited it from his mom, Elizabeth. Now that she was gone too, it was hard to say. It was hard enough having to bury his wife but not parent should have to bury their child.

And now that Kurt had Blaine, Burt could see something in his son he had never seen before. Even though Kurt was sick, there was a light in his eyes whenever Blaine was around. Burt was happy Kurt had found that, but he only wished it hadn't been too late, wished that Kurt could have had that and held onto it for longer.

All of Kurt and Blaine's constant flirting and cute exchange of comments hadn't gone completely unnoticed, because the entire family could see exactly what was going on. Blaine may as well have been the person Kurt claimed him to be at the hospital. He looked down at the beautiful man in his arms and Kurt looked pale, paler than usual today, but a little brighter than when Blaine first set his eyes on him. Today the doctor was allowing him to go home. They had agreed on this since Kurt would be more comfortable in his own apartment, and since there was nothing more that could be done for him in the hospital. He would just have to take pain medication every day to stop from blacking out and to also avoid painful headaches.

That morning, when Blaine noticed Kurt wake up, he immediately greeted him. "Hey sleepy head…" he said smiling with that trademark puppy dog grin of his as he ran his hands through his hair. His usual gelled down style had of late been replaced with his natural curls which sprung out in every direction. Kurt smiled back, "Hey," he chuckled softly, his voice a little raspy, watching Blaine messing up his own hair; he loved Blaine's curls and reached up to play with them. Blaine looked extraordinarily dapper in the smoothed down style but the curls were _hot._ As Kurt thought this to himself he was also silently glad that his paleness from being ill hid the blush creeping up along his neck from his collarbone.

After a few moments of comfortable silence, in which the two boys had just starred at each other, star-crossed and doe-eyed, Blaine voiced a thought that been continually crossing his mind since the doctor had told Kurt he could go home.

"I'm going to miss you when you go, Kurt," Blaine said, his tone filled with a sadness which Kurt could easily read.

Kurt shuffled so he was looking directly at Blaine, his own voice cracking a little when he spoke. "Will you not be visiting me?" he asked. Kurt had been hoping Blaine would, but he supposed Blaine had his own life, and they had only known each other a month. Kurt kicked himself internally for expecting anything from Blaine, let alone him coming to visit him in his home.

A look of shock crossed Blaine's handsome features, "No silly, I meant I'll miss you when you _go._ But, I just thought since you were going home, you'd have your family, and well you wouldn't want me to be there." Blaine shrugged nervously.

Kurt smiled, "Of course I want you to be there Blaine - you saved my life! If it wasn't for you, I could… I could be dead. I—I _need_ you Blaine." Kurt whispered the last part; he had known that fact from the moment the doctor had said he had bad news and Kurt hadn't wanted Blaine to leave. "You have no idea what these last few weeks have meant to me. I mean, I'm so grateful you played along when I told the doctor you were my boyfriend or they would have kicked you out and now… n-now it kinda feels like… like you really are…. My boyfriend, I mean."

Blaine smiled at Kurt's words, an adorable smile Kurt noticed. "Well then if I am your boyfriend, you won't mind if I do this…" And then before Kurt could think anymore, Blaine's lips moved softly onto his. It took Kurt a moment to wrap his head around what was happening and then he sunk into the kiss, reciprocating the passion and heat that was flowing between their lips, the electricity sparking at every point their skin touched.

They broke apart, breathing heavily, gasping for air, as if they had just run a marathon. "Sorry," Blaine whispered, a blush seeping through his olive toned skin. But Kurt smiled and pressed a delicate finger to Blaine's lips, "Shhh, I've _wanted_ to do that for so long now actually..."

With those simple words Blaine's heart soared from within his chest. He had no idea how he could have fallen in love with just a few weeks of knowing someone but here he was. It had happened, and now he knew Kurt at least felt the same to some degree and well, that's all the reassurance he needed to lean back in to kiss the taller boy once more.

Kurt tipped his head back giving Blaine easier access, and then after softly nibbling on Kurt's lower lip, Blaine's tongue fought its way into Kurt's mouth. Kurt hummed in the back of his throat, his toes curling and his hand clutching the collar of Blaine's t-shirt. Kurt kissed Blaine feverishly, those sparks of electricity burning from the points on their lips and through his body now, as if all the blood in their bodies had been replaced with fire now dancing through their veins.

Kurt gasped when Blaine's lips left his and though he moaned at the loss of contact, it was short-lived. Blaine latched onto his neck, finding the pulse point where he sucked and nibbled and licked lightly. Blaine now knew why Rachel had used the nickname 'countertenor' when talking animatedly to Kurt. The next moan to leave the taller boys lips was musical, high pitched and light and it filled Blaine's stomach with butterflies.

Blaine pulled back from the kiss and his eyes met Kurt's, the sapphire irises barely visible as his pupils had exploded with lust and Blaine's hazel orbs reflected this in his own eyes.

"Kurt, I… I don't want to scare you or anything but I… I love you," Blaine breathed softly, almost incoherently, "You make me feel like no one else ever has and have taught me so much about being a better person, a stronger person." He whispered softly, their foreheads pressed together, letting out a sigh of relief having finally said what he had been positive he was feeling for so long now. Blaine looked at Kurt apprehensively, hoping he hadn't said too much.

A smile lit up Kurt's face, he no longer looked like the ill and fragile boy; he looked like a tall and strong man. "Blaine, I, you make me feel so alive. I don't know what you could possibly gain from loving a dying man but," Kurt paused. It was true. He may be dying but when Blaine was beside him he felt more alive than he had ever done in his whole life.

"I love you too," Kurt said softly, another smile twisting his lips before kissing Blaine again softly, sweetly, moving a hand to the older boys jaw line and holding it.

From that moment Blaine had known, the same way he had from the first time he had met him, that he would never leave Kurt's side, not for a second.

That was exactly what happened. That same day, when Kurt was discharged, he didn't return to his own small apartment, but Blaine's slightly larger one, where Blaine settled him into the master bedroom.

Blaine cared for Kurt as if he had been there all along, not as if they had only met a few weeks prior. He went beyond to give Kurt everything he needed. He welcomed Burt, Carole, Finn and Rachel into his home like old friends. When the four left of an evening, Blaine and Kurt would spend hours laughing and smiling and talking; just being together, until Kurt would fall asleep in Blaine's arms, Blaine following soon after, always staying awake long enough to watch Kurt fall asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

This is the final part of Kurt and Blaine's story, beta-d by the ever amazing paperstylehearts, enjoy.

* * *

**Part four**

One day, barely two months after they had met, an unwanted scene would play out in Blaine's life. Blaine would wake up to find Kurt in his arms as usual, but something would be different, wrong. Kurt wouldn't respond to Blaine's voice or light kisses as he usually did, and Blaine would pull himself from under Kurt and call Burt, praying this wasn't the ending he had tried so hard to push from his mind. Blaine would then call for an ambulance to take Kurt to the hospital, ringing Kurt's doctor to tell him they were on their way.

But there was nothing any of the medical staff could do – as what was explained to them by the doctor when he had first broke the news. There was no cure for cancer, the tumor was inoperable, and Blaine could do nothing more than make sure Kurt was at least comfortable, and sit by his love's bed, holding his hand, stroking back Kurt's auburn hair, watching him inevitably slip away.

Blaine made the decision to leave New York. Once the funeral was over, he packed up his apartment and left the city, leaving behind his old dreams of Broadway.

Kurt's family had offered him a home back in Lima, Ohio when Blaine had divulged he too was from the same state, however, he gracefully declined, promising to keep in touch.

In the two short months with Kurt, Blaine had become someone else.

Blaine stood behind the podium at the front of the chapel three days later.

"If, two months ago, you had asked me what my biggest achievement was, or what the most amazing moment of my life had been so far, I would have answered with something like… winning my first show choir competition solo in high school. Or even more recently… my first leading role at NYADA, or indeed graduating from NYADA. But within one night my answer to that question changed -twice. The first time it changed was after stepping out onto centre stage in my first Broadway role.

The second time was just hours later.

The moment I met Kurt Hummel, my life changed forever.

People talk about spending a lifetime with a person that completes them but a lifetime is a relative concept. I only got two months with Kurt, but it was like a lifetime. In those two months I changed and I grew because of Kurt. Being around him helped me discover parts of myself that I never even knew existed. I've spent twenty three years just living my life, but now I realize there is more to life than just living. There is more to life than what you see. There is more to _yourself_ than what you feel.

When I first met Kurt, I felt like I had known him forever. It was like we had met in a past life… like I had known him all long. We had a connection that allowed us to understand each other, and help each other grow in a way I could never have imagined. Some lifetimes are longer than others, but no matter how short they are, they always have an impact on the world - even if it's just on one person out of the hundreds of people that you meet.

At first I thought of wishing that Kurt had more time, more numbers, than he did. But I learned that there is no point wishing things are different, no matter how much you want to. So desperately I wanted to cling to Kurt, to his memory, and wish for him to have so much more. But he didn't need any more. He knew better than any of us of the preciousness of life before he even got sick. He suffered heart break when he lost his mother, at only eight years old, and a man as amazing as Kurt, should have never had to suffer that as a boy. But he learned and he grew and it made him the strong man he became because of it.

I talk about numbers and time, but I was never any good at math. I was good at history, though, and I know you can't change the past, but you _can_ change the future. You can choose your _own_ future. You can fight. Take what life throws at you and do the best you can with what you have.

Kurt Hummel was a fighter.

But Kurt was also insanely talented; praised for his performance of Hugh Jackman's version of _'Not The Boy Next Door,'_ by the infamous NYADA Dean of vocal interpretation herself, Carmen Tibideaux – and it was only among one of his high achievements.

He was the fiercest man I have ever met. He never gave up, he never stopped fighting. He leaves behind a legacy of determination, and to always doing right by others, no matter the detrimental effect on himself. He fought to get out of small town Lima, Ohio, and he made it. He made it to New York, and no one can take that away from him. Kurt never gave up, and more significantly, he would never let anyone else give up either. He had the ability to show others a strength in themselves they didn't even know they had and he fought until the very end.

The world keeps spinning, never slowing, never stopping. We live our lives day after day; we never think too far ahead because… we can't. I mean, how could we all live anyway, if we were to do so by waiting every day for life to end? It wouldn't be very productive or reasonable. So we hold on to the idea of forever and of being invincible because waiting isn't living, not really. Counting time won't get you there any quicker nor will it slow you down.

A wise man once said, 'Number neither your days not your hours, lest they pass you quickly while you count them. Instead, treat them as friends and bid them tarry a while, and you will know long life and happiness.'

Time will continue to keep passing - like the grains of sand as they run through your fingers. You will never be able to hold onto them no matter how hard you try, but you can try - oh God, you can try - and when they eventually do run out, you can say you've tried and that will be enough - because trying to hold tightly – well, that's all we have."

It was the beginning of a new Blaine. Being with Kurt had taught him so much about himself, it was like something had flung them together, allowing them to support each other in very different ways.

Blaine had a new dream, a dream to teach. He would never forget how much he had needed a mentor at school, someone to help him figure out who he was - and now that is what he wanted to do for others.

A few years passed. Blaine went back to college in Los Angeles, he became an Elementary School teacher, and he loved his work. But every day the wound in his chest would tear open a little more. The memory of Kurt never left him for more than a few moments. He learned to live but not to forget. Never forget. The second Blaine closed his eyes, Kurt's face would be there in front of him, and a new wave of sadness would wash over him like a tsunami. Every day Blaine had to fight the tears.

One day, five years after leaving, Blaine finally returned to New York, finding a room in a hotel at just a day's notice. Blaine didn't know at what point he decided to come back, but he felt it was the right thing to do in that moment. There was something still holding him here and something he could not let go of, like when just a few grains of sand are left in the palm of your hand, stuck in the crevices.

Blaine walked the streets of New York City. Not much had changed in the past five years. The posters and billboards held different names and different faces now but the same shows were still playing with a few new ones tucked away in the smaller theatres; some up and coming production team trying so desperately to make it in this harsh world. This world seemed a million light-years away from Blaine even though he had once been a part of it. But that felt like a different life.

_I walked across an empty land  
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand  
I felt the earth beneath my feet  
sat by the river and it made me complete  
oh simple thing where have you gone?  
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on  
so tell me when you're gonna let me in  
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin  
_  
As Blaine walked, memories stirred in the back of his mind when he found himself in a small street, almost like an alley way, filled with small boutique shops. He didn't recognize the little shops but he squinted and he could picture the street in the dark. His mind had led him to the place he needed to be without even consciously realizing it himself. Blaine closed his eyes and allowed himself to sink to his knees, the memories flowing freely now.

_I came across a fallen tree  
I felt the branches of it looking at me  
is this the place we used to love?  
Is this the place that I've been dreaming of?_

He remembered so much… Like the time he and Kurt had taken a taxi to Central Park and taken a short walk before Kurt had been desperate to show Blaine his favorite place in Times Square to sit and think…

_Oh simple thing where have you gone?  
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on  
so tell me when you're gonna let me in  
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin_

_and if you have a minute why don't we go  
talk about it somewhere only we know?  
This could be the end of everything  
so why don't we go  
somewhere only we know?_

Blaine buried his head in his hands, the familiar feeling of dread wash over him, he knew what would happen if he let too many memories into his consciousness… he wouldn't be able to contain his emotion.

_Oh simple thing where have you gone?  
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on  
so tell me when you're gonna let me in  
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin_

_and if you have a minute why don't we go  
talk about it somewhere only we know?  
This could be the end of everything  
so why don't we go, so why don't we go,_

Blaine missed Kurt; it was like a part of him had been ripped from his body, from his life. Blaine let the memories in; he had blocked them out for so long he couldn't stop the walls he had built from tumbling down.

Blaine remembered Kurt's last words before he had closed his eyes for the last time…

"_Blaine you are strong, stronger than you know. Just look deep and you can find it…"_

_this could be the end of everything  
so why don't we go  
somewhere only we know?  
Somewhere only we know_

this could be the end of everything,  
so why don't we go,  
somewhere only we know,  
somewhere only we know,  
somewhere only we know

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This story has been in the works for 7 months now. Over 7 months since I wrote the first words. What started as a little fun drabble soon became an emotional journey. This fic means a lot to me and I really hope you all saw the emotion and meaning behind this fic. This fic really wouldn't be where it is without the help of my beta paperstylehearts who was amazing in shaping this story into the journey I wanted to portray.


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